(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to cryotherapy, or the use of extreme cold in medical treatment, based on the principle that short applications of such extreme cold can produce localized tissue destruction.
(2) Description of Related Art
This invention is used with an endoscope that places, within a patient, the cryoprobe instrument disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,846,235, for Endoscopic Cryospray Device, incorporated herein by reference. Liquid under pressure passes through the cryoprobe to a site within a patient, for medical treatment. At the site, the liquid refrigerant is sprayed from a nozzle and expands into a gas, producing extreme cold, through the Joule-Thompson effect.